KARA K5J Showcase: An Interview with KARA

We’re barely a week away from welcoming KARA and their much-talked-about fragrance to Singapore! As previously covered by Dana, the girls’ recent efforts in the realm of perfumery heralded a new beginning for what we’ve recognised as K-pop merchandise. Shortly after came TaeTiSeo‘s quite successful promotions with “Twinkle”. Evidently, both groups took different approaches to presenting their debut fragrances, so let’s just leave it at that.

Seoulbeats nabbed a quick email interview with the girls and despite DSP evading some of the fun, light-hearted questions, here’s what they had to say.

On their visit being a long-awaited one:

KARA:We’ve always wanted to visit Singapore and meet our fans in Southeast Asia, but the timing was not right in the past. We’re here now to see our Singaporean Kamilias and we’re looking forward to getting to know you all!

When probed about any pre-conceived notions and impressions that they had about this sunny isle, they were only too generous. “We’ve heard that Singaporeans are very passionate and fun.” Seeing as Singapore has come up as a top stop-over location for K-pop events, we weren’t surprised to hear that the girls have been looking forward to some touristy leisure time. A visit to the foodie nation is never complete without a taste of the now (in)famous Chilli Crab. KARA is anticipating some local cuisine indulgence; Kamilias, are you ready to take them around?

I’m sure your curiosity was piqued, just as much as mine, with regard to the bold step they’ve taken to venturing into perfumery. Fans will be happy to know that KARA had them in mind when the idea for K5J (KARA 5 Jewel) came about!

KARA:We’ve been looking for an opportunity to thank our fans for their love and continued support, and our partnership with 3CY presented us with the perfect one — to launch our first-ever, signature fragrance. We wanted it to be special and so we took to Paris, France, to create it. We couldn’t have achieved this historic milestone without our fans. We’ve put in so much into producing K5J and we hope our fans will appreciate it!

Faced with a forerunner in this new frontier for idol merchandise goods, we went further to ask about their aspirations in terms of other unique product endorsements for the future. Their answer, we expect, was a simple and synonymous one, “A clothing and accessory line.” Not too sure why but I half-expected it; could be a little too Disney for me but I’m sure fashion-centric Kamilias and K-poppers will be down with that!

We decided to ask the girls about their real-life passions and hobbies, and which of those they wish could be integrated into their work schedules.

KARA:Nicole’s fluency in English is very impressive but what a lot of people don’t know is that she’s an excellent cook. She often bakes cookies and muffins for friends and staffers, and they’re divine! She would be wonderful on a cooking programme.

Seeing as their upcoming gig would be both a production promotion and performance showcase, we took reference from their most recent Karasia solo tour. On that experience, KARA expressed how they’re still overwhelmed by their accomplishment and the fact that they could give back to the fans. Any chance of going international, you ask? Well, we wouldn’t say it’s on the cards but they’re absolutely keen about going that route. At several points in their career, KARA has also been known as the epitome of “cute and fresh.” They have since shifted from their roots to more provocative material. On how they see themselves at the moment and what that spells for the future:

KARA:We believe we have plenty of room to grow, and we hope to mature and develop as performers as well as continue to produce “fresh” music. There is still a lot more to come from KARA and we’re continually working towards pleasing and giving back to our fans.

We asked them for a short slogan to go with their showcase and here’s what they’ve got:

Are you ready to party with KARA?!
모두들 카라와 함께 미친 듯 놀 준비 되셨나요?!

Lastly, here’s a heartfelt message from KARA to all Kamilias:

Dear Kamilias in Singapore,We are finally here to meet you! Do stand by us and we hope you enjoy the show!Thank you!!